Oregon Public Broadcasting

A handful of regional utilities tentatively agreed Tuesday to join the hydro giant, Bonneville Power Administration, in attempting a “smart grid” demonstration in the Northwest. Rob Manning reports.

The “Smart Grid” covers a number of goals - such as getting people to moderate their energy use in response to peak demand. But advocates hope it can be a flexible system to deal with renewables, growing demand, and  aging infrastructure.

The federal stimulus package includes 400 million dollars for Smart Grid demonstrations. BPA has talked to the feds about pursuing at least 50 million dollars of that.

Project manager Jason Salmi Klotz says it will require a dollar-for-dollar match from BPA or utilities. But he says that investment would pay off in improved efficiency.

Jason Salmi Klotz: “If there’s no value to this, there’s no point in doing it.”

A handful of utilities, including Portland General Electric, plan to negotiate with BPA about joining the Smart Grid effort. Officials say the demonstration is not likely to affect rates - but utilities may gather detailed information on how and when customers use electricity.